Two years ago, I wrote about Columbian tugs here, and alluded to reading of some new ones in Colombia here. Here and here –one more here–are some others from the great river in the Northwest. Thanks to the Maraki crew, here is some activity from along the northwest corner of South America. Click here to read Maraki‘s account of conditions in this corner of the Caribbean

The big tug Atlas, built in Japan in 1991, seems to have trolling rods deployed, or am I seeing that wrong.

Tayrona is from 2014 and Peru built. Click here for more of the fleet.

Technically, I’ve never finished my posts on watersheds 12 and 13 . . . the troves of photos from those places have simply been preserved by photos that followed and those stories remain to be finished . . . like most things in life.

The photos here, all from Maraki . . . , offer a focus other than how much ice chills the sixth boro, an interesting enough topic but one that I need to get away from periodically. Come inside, sip some chocolate, and contemplate the equatorial zones. Like Rio Magdalena.

And the next few from Fred Trooster and Jan Oosterboer and taken in Amazonehaven section of the port of Rotterdam less than a week ago . . . the giant Thalassa Elpida assisted into the dock by FairPlay 21. The two smaller boats are the line handlers.

Click here for a post I did four years ago showing FairPlay 21 nearly capsizing.

Lindy Marie (1952) has unusual house lines. Note in the background the bow of the black mystery tug to the left and USACE’s Redlinger, maybe the fastest survey vessel on the seven seas.

This is an escort tug built in 1947 with obsolete technology just because it was effective.

When Portland IIwas service, it was operated by Shaver. Click here for a narrative of its operation and transformation to museum vessel. Click here for a foto of the vessel Shaver replaced the steam vessel with in 1981.

Yup, I gotta see the movie.

Parting shot, it’s part of the Brusco fleet. Nearer vessel is Sharon Brusco.

I’m slowing this down; yesterday I posted a record-setting 32 fotos, if I counted right. And I’m making this personal, dedicating this to my wonderful Colombian and Ecuadorian students and to my Indonesian relatives.

Gloria is the official flagship of the Colombia Navy, based in Cartagena. Yes, we’ve heard too much about some malfeasance there recently.

The population of Colombia is 46 million; the size of the Navy is 35,000.

The population of Ecuador is 14 million, and the total personnel of the Navy is a bit over 7200. The logo on the “sail” between the foremast and mainmast promotes Ecuadorian tourism. If I had limitless funds and time, I’d go everywhere, but Ecuador includes Amazonian forest, high Andes, the Galapagos, and so much more.

You might know this, but the population of Indonesia is over 240 million, the fourth most populous country, with many cultures and some 700 languages!

As an archipelago nation made up of more than 18,000 islands, it’s not surprising it has a navy of 150 ships and 74,000 sailors. In the distance, that’s Buchanan 1 moving rock through the archipelago of the sixth boro.

As to my relatives . . . I did have four uncles who fought there against Indonesian independence a half century ago.

I’m eager to see the wood carving closeup; as a kid, I was scared to visit my grandmother’s house because of a frightful Balinese mask hanging on her wall.

If you have the chance, visit these and other vessels around the sixth boro this weekend. Click here for further info. I’ll be working a dock of Staten Island Saturday morning and Brooklyn Sunday and Monday morning.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp.

When I see foreign mariners, whether on modern cargo vessels or on tall ships, I recall reading that Ho Chi Minh (scroll through to the paragraph “In the USA”) traveled to the US aboard a ship 100 years ago exactly and lived here for a number of years. Too bad that story doesn’t have a happy ending.

Unrelated: Check this list of nations with tall ship/sail training vessels. It’s interesting to think of which do not . . .

Finally, thanks to all who voted for Peagus and LV-79; unfortunately they were not in the top four. We tried.

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.